Survey Shows Opportunity for Small Businesses to Improve Web Presence

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Over a quarter of small businesses do not have a website and 10 percent claim that they are unlikely to have a website in the future, according to a new survey conducted by research firm Clutch. Of the small businesses that have a website, only 56 percent have a responsive design website that is mobile friendly. However, the survey also showed signs of improvement, as 23 percent plan to increase website spending in 2015.

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Clutch's research also found that many small businesses are not utilizing existing digital marketing strategies. Only 53 percent of small businesses reported that they actively work on social media, 45 percent on search engine optimization (SEO), and 25 percent on online advertising.

"Having a strong online presence is kind of as important as having a professional looking business card," explained Andrew Ruditser, co-founder of web design firm MAXBURST, remarking on the survey results. "In my opinion, you cannot effectively compete or market yourself without a website; you must have one."

Ted Risdall, chairman and CEO of Risdall Marketing Group, felt that the survey findings highlight an opportunity for small businesses to grow their authority online.

"Digital marketing campaigns are often a lot less expensive than other types of campaigns," Risdall told Clutch. "I think that it actually lowers the entry point for a lot of clients that want to start doing something meaningful. That first something meaningful is having that store front online and being there when people are searching for the kinds of things you do. We can serve a lot of smaller budget clients than ever before because of digital marketing."

The report is the second of four segments Clutch will publish in the coming weeks examining the results of the small business survey. This report focuses on small business web presence, with future reports to include social media marketing and mobile application development. To collect the data, Clutch analysts gathered over 350 survey responses from small business owners and managers distributed across the US. The report includes commentary from representatives of web design firms and digital agencies in addition to the survey data.

The full report can be found at https://clutch.co/web-design/web-2015-small-business-survey.

About Clutch

Clutch is a Washington, DC-based research firm that identifies top services and software firms that deliver results for their clients. The Clutch methodology is an innovative research process melding the best of traditional B2B research and newer consumer review services. Clutch utilizes a proprietary framework, the Leaders Matrix, which maps firms focus areas and their ability to deliver on client expectations. To date, Clutch has researched and reviewed 700+ companies spanning 50+ markets.

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